The Citadel: A Tale of the ODSTs
by ChiefCommando2015
Summary: A story following the Rookie through one of his early missions. His team must land on a UNSC colony world and take out a Covenant Citadel. I used the Halo wiki for most of the info, and in the rest I've tried to stay faithful to the Halo style. Oneshot, kinda long. Rated T for violence, just to be safe. Please Review!


UNSC CLASSIFIED ACTION REPORT

Subject: ODST 11282-31220-JD Lance Corporal James "Rookie" Dart; 10th Shock Troops Battalion (105th Marine Expeditionary Unit (SOC))

Mission: Operation WILDFIRE

Date of Mission: November 2550

Mission Location: Tantalus

Mission Objective: Insert behind Covenant lines on Tantalus. Blow up three Covenant Citadels scattered across contested territory to help clear the way for a UNSC offensive

James woke up, staring at the strobe light that had stirred him from his dreams. That light was the signal to get dressed in his gear and head to the Pod Bay. He stood up, putting on his battle suit and walking down the hall. When he got to the Pod Bay (or Hell's waiting room, as the ODSTs called it), the rest of the team was already there.

"Well look who decided to join us!" said Hunter, the wisecracking jokester of the team. After a glare from Paul, the team leader, Hunter fell silent.

"Listen up team," Paul began, "The situation on Tantalus is not looking good. Covenant forces already occupy 68% of the planet's landmass. However, we are about to change that. UNSC forces are mounting an offensive to take back a big chunk of the planet's biggest continent. Their hopes are that, once they control this continent, they can beat back Covenant forces on the rest of the planet. Our job, though, is pretty simple." He pulled up a holographic map of the target continent. "The enemy's main defenses along this border come from these three Citadels. The three ODST squads on this ship have been assigned to take out these citadels. Our squad, now designated Bravo Squad, will be taking this citadel," he said, pointing to the one deepest in enemy territory. "It won't be easy but then, who ever said an ODST's job was easy? We will drop in this abandoned town, roughly thirty miles from the citadel. We will infiltrate the citadel, plant enough explosives in it to blow it halfway to Earth, then meet up with a Marine Recon Force for extraction. Any questions? Good! We drop in one hour. Dismissed!". The ODSTs dispersed, heading to the armory for weapons or to their pods to inspect them. James chose the former, taking a silenced SMG and a silenced Magnum once he got there. He picked up extra ammunition for the weapons, then took a couple of grenades for good measure. He walked back to his pod, latching the weapons inside and running a systems check on the computer systems while he inspected the pod for any defects. Satisfied, he stepped back, admiring the vehicle. The SOEIV was truly an engineering marvel, able to protect its occupant as it fell through the atmosphere. James turned around, and went to take a nap until it was time to drop.

James woke up thirty minutes later, exactly when he had planned to. He assembled with the rest of his team in the Pod Bay, each trooper strapping himself/herself into their pod. Paul initiated the drop cycle, and the communications relay in each pod activated. The Rookie watched each screen buzz to life. There went Paul's…there went Katie's…there went Adam's…there went Hunter's… and there went Emily's. The team was go for drop. One by one, each SOEIV was ejected from the cruiser. James's went fifth, and as he looked up, he saw Adam's pod leave the UNSC _Unto the Breach_, now rapidly growing smaller. James monitored the screens around him, making minor adjustments as his pod fell through the atmosphere. On Paul's count, all the ODSTs opened their parachutes. However, as James's pod slowed, he saw Adam's pod go racing past. For whatever reason, his chute hadn't opened. As Adam's screams and cries filled the comm channel, Paul cut off the audio for Adam's pod. There was nothing the team could do for him now. Adam had dug his own grave, a death feared by every ODST. James closed his eyes in a moment of remembrance, and then initiated his pod's landing sequence. After a brief jolt as the pod landed, the pod's hatch popped off, and James stepped out of the crater his landing had made. He looked around, noting that he had landed in the middle of a park. A moment later, Paul's voice came over the comm channel. "Everyone alright? Sound off, troopers." Each ODST sounded off, a few of the voices still shaky from what they had seen happen to Adam. Emily was the last to sound off, and Paul spoke right after her. "Ok, I'm activating my nav beacon. Check your VISR data for the location and satellite images of the city. See you in a couple of hours.".

After a long hike through the city, the Rookie finally came to the courtyard where the team had assembled, Paul's pod still sitting in the center. After a brief wait, Hunter climbed over the opposite wall, completing the team. As he approached the group, Paul outlined the plan. "Okay, listen up. Covenant forces have set up a perimeter twenty miles out from their Citadel. The nearest outpost is ten miles from here, and that's our first target. We'll need to avoid patrols along the road until we reach the outpost. There, we will take the outpost and hold it 'til sundown. That's when the citadel will message all the outposts to see if everything is alright. ONI has procured a recording of a Brute giving the all clear signal, so we will be able to send that without raising any alarm. The next morning, we will take any vehicles present at the outpost and go to the Citadel, again dodging Covenant patrols as we go. Everyone understand? Then let's move, troopers!" The ODSTs took formation and began the trek to the outpost.

"Are they gone?" Katie whispered. As Paul replied that they were gone, the team slowly emerged from the bush they had been hiding in. "They" was a Covenant patrol consisting of two Brutes on Choppers and a Grunt on a ghost. It was the third such patrol they had seen since they set out from the city, and they were now less than a mile from the outpost. The ODSTs, again on the lookout for enemy forces, moved up the road.

Thirty minutes later, they saw the outpost in the distance. It was a small building, one that looked like it might have been a farmhouse before the Covenant invaded. The ODSTs carefully moved towards it, taking up a perimeter around the building. Emily took aim with her battle rifle, and with two bursts, the Jackals guarding the entrance were dead. The team charged towards the building, coming through the door and the windows and taking the aliens inside by surprise. They quickly recovered though, and within moments the spacious main room was a chaotic battleground. As plasma bolts and red-hot spikes filled the air, James and Hunter killed Covenant soldier after Covenant soldier with their SMGs, picking them off with ruthless efficiency. On either side of them, the others were doing the same thing. Emily was using her battle rifle with deadly precision, while Katie and Paul hosed the enemy with assault rifle fire. Though it seemed like forever, the firefight only took three minutes. Katie, Hunter, and the Rookie moved to secure the perimeter, while Emily went upstairs with her battle rifle and Paul inspected the communications gear. After a few hours, a harsh alien voice came over the Covenant comm device, and Paul transmitted the ONI recording. It seemed to satisfy the Covenant soldier on the other end, and the radio went silent. The ODSTs slept in shifts that night, killing any patrol that tried to come home to the outpost. By the time morning came, they had assembled a sizeable collection of Covenant vehicles. "Good," Paul said, looking at the stolen vehicles. "Everyone take a vehicle, the least damaged one you can find.". After a few minutes, the troopers were ready to move out. Katie, Paul, and Hunter had all taken Choppers, while Emily and James took Ghosts. As the sun came up over the horizon, the squad began their journey to the Citadel.

After hours of travel, the squad finally made it to the Citadel. They dismounted their vehicles, and Paul told them the plan. "Here's what we're going to do. Hunter, you're our team's explosives expert, so I want you to move to the motor pool. The rest of us will move towards the entrance. When you see us start towards the entrance, throw some high explosives into the motor pool. Try to make it as big and loud as possible. The more vehicles blow up, the better. Hide nearby, and when everyone comes to see what happened, join us inside."

"Blowing up vehicles! Sounds like my kind of party!" Hunter said with a chuckle. With that, he stealthily moved towards the motor pool. As he left the other ODSTs began moving towards the Citadel's entrance. After a few seconds, they heard a loud explosion from around the side of the building. As all the enemy troops went to defend their motor pool, the troopers sprinted towards the entrance, hiding inside until Hunter joined them. "Well, that got their attention!" he said with a smile. Just then, a Jackal rounded the corner, and the team opened up on it with their weapons. After it was dead, Paul turned to the troopers. "Better get moving.". So they advanced down the hallway, heading for the first point to place their explosives.

It was like something out of a nightmare. The Covenant had finally caught on to what had happened, and was now swarming the citadel looking for the ODSTs. It seemed to James that, every time they rounded a corner, there was another Covenant fireteam waiting for them. They had placed all but one of the explosive charges, but it was hard on the troopers. Everyone was running low on ammo, and Emily's leg had been wounded by a bolt from a Grunt's plasma pistol. James was now propping her up, helping her walk while he blasted away at the alien soldiers with his Magnum. After what seemed like an eternity, the squad finally came to the last explosive point. "Cover me." Hunter said as he began arming the final charge, and the ODSTs dutifully took up position around him. It was then that everything went wrong.

Out of nowhere, a Drone swarm flew through the door of the room they were in. Everyone immediately opened up with SMGs, Spikers, plasma pistols, whatever they still had ammo for. Tactics and formation were swept away as each trooper fought to save themselves and their teammates. When the attack finally subsided, a disheartening discovery came to light. In the middle of the battle, one of the drones had scored a lucky hit on Paul. He was unconscious, his abdomen oozing blood. The Rookie immediately pulled out a first aid kit and filled him with biofoam, but he stayed unconscious. The biofoam would hold him together, but they needed to get him to friendly territory so he could be helped by a medic. After Hunter finished arming and placing the explosive, the team battled their way out of the Citadel, now carrying two wounded troopers. As soon as they were a safe distance away, Hunter detonated the explosives. James watched the building explode in a mass of flame and burning wreckage, but he felt no triumph. Was it really worth it, he asked himself? Sure they had completed their mission and cleared the way for a UNSC advance, but Paul could die, and Emily might be crippled for weeks, if not months. He shook those thoughts from his mind. He had a job to do and, like it or not, it had to be done. With Paul incapacitated, Hunter took command. "On the way here, we passed a farmhouse with a pickup truck parked outside. If that thing still works, it'll make getting back to friendly lines a heck of a lot easier. It should only be a couple of miles from here. Let's move out!". And with that the ODSTs began to walk down the road, carrying Paul and Emily to a hopefully better future.

After about an hour and a half, the ODSTs came upon the farmhouse Hunter had described. "James, get Paul and Emily in the back. I'll see if I can start this thing." Hunter said, moving towards the cab. Katie moved to help James, and by the time they were done, Hunter had gotten the truck started. "We'll need some more fuel if we're going to make it back to friendly territory." He said, and after James and Katie had taken some fuel cans from the house, they were off, heading for the nearest UNSC outpost. Hunter had radioed ahead, and there would be a medic waiting at the outpost. In addition, an escort force was going to meet them twenty miles from the outpost and bring them in. However, all the Covenant in the area were on high alert, so they were expecting to come under fire. James rode in the back with his SMG, while Katie took shotgun with her scavenged plasma pistol. Hunter floored it, trying to get to the escort as fast as possible. They came under fire a few times, but James's skill with the SMG, combined with Katie's use of the overcharged plasma pistol to disable vehicles, always got them through. When they finally got to the UNSC outpost, around nightfall, everyone was exhausted. Had it really only been that morning that they had set out for the Citadel? Now, with Paul and Emily being taken to the main base for medical attention, and everyone at the outpost congratulating them, James, Hunter, and Katie felt out of place, their minds still looking for threats. However, when they each sank into borrowed cots that evening, each ODST slept the dreamless sleep of the truly fatigued. The next day, as the squadmates traveled back to the base where they would travel back to the _Unto the Breach_, James allowed himself a smile. Their part in this mission was over for now. It was up to their fellow soldiers to secure the victory now. Relieved by that fact, James drifted off to sleep inside the shuttle


End file.
